# YouTube highlights collaborations with up to ten creators

> YouTube highlights invitations for up to ten collaborators on videos and Shorts. How acceptance, recommendations and revenue work for creators and brands.


Published: 2026-11-04. Original source: [YouTube Creators · Collaborations on videos and Shorts](https://x.com/YouTubeCreators/status/2117719717246804384).

![Official YouTube Collaborations thumbnail featuring creators and an illustration of their associated channels](/news/youtube-collaborations/official-cover.jpg)

Thumbnail from the official explainer [Collaborations on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_OA4zASDTg). Feature explainer material that predates this reminder.

**You can invite up to ten creators to collaborate on a long-form YouTube video or a Short.** YouTube Creators highlighted the option again in a [November 3 post](https://x.com/YouTubeCreators/status/2117719717246804384), bringing back a practical question: when several channels are associated with one video, who gets paid?

[YouTube’s current help page](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16554898?hl=en) gives a clear answer: **the channel that publishes the video receives its earnings**. Invitations associate creators with the upload; any payment between participants needs a separate arrangement.

## What a YouTube collaboration does

Once an invitee accepts, YouTube displays their name and a button to subscribe to their channel. Viewers can see the association on mobile, desktop and TV. That gives someone discovering the video a direct way to find the other participants without searching the description.

YouTube aims to recommend the upload to the audiences of its collaborators and the publishing channel. It also warns that changes in search and recommendations may take time to appear. **It does not promise a view count or exposure to every subscriber.**

## Does it work on Shorts and live streams?

Choose the format you plan to publish to check its conditions. These come from [YouTube’s collaboration documentation](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16554898?hl=en).

| Format | Availability | Condition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Long-form video | You can invite collaborators | Supports up to ten invited creators. Their names and subscribe buttons appear once they accept. |
| Short | You can invite collaborators | The limit of up to ten invitees also applies to Shorts. Each creator needs to accept the invitation. |
| Archived live stream | You can invite collaborators | The feature supports an archived recording of a broadcast. |
| Live now | Unavailable during the broadcast | YouTube excludes streams that are still live. |

## Who gets the video’s earnings?

The channel that uploads the video receives the revenue it earns. YouTube does not divide it between invited channels. If you are organizing a collaboration, that makes **where to publish and how to pay for the work** decisions to settle before filming.

For a campaign, our recommendation is to record who publishes, what each participant contributes and who may reuse the material. If you promise another creator a payment, do not expect the collaboration label to handle it for you. That commercial arrangement sits outside the feature.

## Working with a brand? Check its access separately

A creator invitation and brand partner access serve different purposes. For sponsored content, [YouTube’s brand partner documentation](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15672082?hl=en) explains how to share video metrics and allow promotion through ads. YouTube also asks creators to arrange usage rights with advertisers independently.

For your team, that means two separate decisions: who appears as a collaborator, and how the brand may use the video. Before sharing access, check that its permissions match what you agreed. Inviting a creator does not replace the applicable paid-promotion disclosure.

## An existing feature that YouTube is highlighting again

The November 3 post prompted this story. Collaborations already appeared in [YouTube’s official 2025 product update](https://support.google.com/youtube/blog/372291417/new-youtube-updates-to-help-you-create-connect-with-fans-drive-business?hl=en-BD), which described a limit of five collaborators. The current help page allows ten, but the sources reviewed do not establish November 3 as the date that limit changed.

On desktop, YouTube lists the path as **Studio → upload video → Details → Show more → Collaboration → Invite a collaborator**. Its [official explainer video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_OA4zASDTg) provides visual context for the feature; that material predates this reminder.

If your next upload will be a brand Short, our guide to [what to publish and measure with YouTube Shorts for business](/en/guides/youtube-shorts-for-business/) offers more context. The first decision here is specific: choose the publishing channel and agree on the work with the people you plan to invite.

## YouTube’s original post

[YouTube Creators · November 3, 2026](https://x.com/YouTubeCreators/status/2117719717246804384)

> invite up to ten creators

<small>Reviewed November 4, 2026. We checked the original post and official help pages. We did not publish a test video or measure the effect of collaborations on reach.</small>

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